The present invention relates to pelican hooks of the type which are used to make rapid connections and disconnections between cables, chains and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable pelican hook which permits the tension in connected cables or chains or the distance between two connected points to be varied while the hook is closed and connected to the points.
Pelican hooks are well known in the art. Examples of patents disclosing such hooks are: U.S. Pats. 827,795, 2,513,245 and 3,615,116. Such hooks are employed in situations where a rapid and simple release mechanism is needed to couple and uncouple two or more articles.
Pelican hooks generally include two rather elongated and pivotally connected members, one of which sometimes resembles the curvature of a pelican's lower mandible from which the name is derived. To engage the hook, the one elongated member or jaw resembling the shape of a pelican's mandible is laced through or placed around an article being attached and then is pivoted into a locking position with the other elongated member generally forming the body of the hook to capture the attached article. A ring or other catch mounted on the body holds the jaw in the closed position.
In pelican hooks of the prior art, it was not possible to adjust the tension with which the hook pulled the attached articles together or the distance between the attached articles while the pelican hook was closed. Any adjustment permitted by the hook was made only while the hook was open and, therefore, establishing the correct tension or distance between attached articles was a trial-and-error process.
It is, accordingly, a general object of the present invention to disclose a pelican hook having features permitting it to be adjusted while the hook is in the closed condition.